Day 2- Richmond Oval Posted by Happy Blogger , 2.3.10 at Tuesday, March 02, 2010, in

What a beautiful morning in Vancouver! We could kept the windows open all night, and there was a fresh sea breeze. It was 8 am and everyone in Vancouver was awake except for my cousin; you see, we are complete opposites. She wants to stay up, I want to go to bed, I wake up early, she sleeps in- you get the picture? Anywho, my Gramma and my aunt were up and sitting at the table drinking some coffee, I joined them for a glass of orange juice and a muffin, and waited for sleepy-pants on the mattress to wake up.


When everything finally got into motion, we prepared to head to Richmond Oval for long track speed skating. Traffic was crazy throughout the Olympics, so we practically walked everywhere. So we headed to the train station, went to Aberdeen, and made our way to the oval.


At the very beginning of the walk, we were offered free hot chocolate. Now, who could give up free hot chocolate? Not us! It wasn't very good, but it was nice to drink something warm. We walked along the water edge, following a swarm of red. Rocks clinged to the edge of the water, and at some points, you would find little inukshuks that people had made out of the rocks. How clever.Photo up!


We got free Olympic tatoos on our hands, and got a 'GO CANADA GO' sign for cheering loudly for the volunteers. The line up for security wasn't to bad, and we went to our seats. We were sitting right behind all the camera's that were covering the events. I was sure I was going to get on TV. This was my shot at fame! Canadian Fan Meets Stardom! But no- us Canadian fans were nothing in compared to the Netherlands. They would dress completely in orange- including wigs, bert and ernie hats, huge signs. I'll know to pack this stuff the next time I go to the Olympic-if there is another oppurtunity? Anywho. I honestly had never really watched speed skating, so I never really knew what was going on- but that really didn't matter! The entire stadium would boom with Canadian fans stomping their feet and cheering on our athletes. It was such a rush to be a part of. Kristina Groves got 3rd at this event.


After the event, we walked back to the train station, and I can mostly remember being on the train for a long time. We took a train to my aunts friends house for supper. I honestly have no idea where they lived, or how we got there, but it was dark by the time we got there.


For supper, they made roast beef, yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, fresh bread and veggies! After supper, I was starting to doze off on their couch. I remember seeing glimpses of Ice Dancing and curling, but I was too preoccupied being tired. It was only my second day and I was exhausted! What is this? I caught my second wave after eating some tirimasu. It was getting late, and they were gracious enough to drive us home. We got in, put on our Canadian pants, and watched Glee.


Glee... so good... just one more episode....zzzzzzzzzzzzz... nope


-Happy Blogger

Day 1 - The Arrival Posted by Happy Blogger , at Tuesday, March 02, 2010, in

It was nine in the morning when we left for the airport. My Gramma and I would be travelling together, and we were to meet with the rest of the crew in Vancouver. So off we went. Check-in, security, gates, coffee... the regular.


The entire week leading up to the Olympics, I was going crazy. I was too excited to sleep, and I was usually bouncing off the walls, but it was weird, when the time came to go, I was completely calm. The flight was only 45 minutes long, and I had barely enough time to start the movie 'Whip It' that I had selected to watch. Oh well.


Getting all our luggage went fairly smoothly considering I had the huggest duffle bag I had ever seen. We set off for the train station. The train was fairly new, and for the first few minutes, you felt like you were riding a roller coaster. Up and down and Up and down. It was rather futuristic and Vancouver felt like an amusement park. We got off the train feeling positively optimistic- but little did I know how far we would have to walk. It was only a twenty minute walk, but I could have sworn I was towing my luggage for 3 hours- atleast that's how I felt. The duffle bag was awkward, and strained my back when I would walk with it. Every few minutes I would switch sides, so each side got it's equal share of torture. Preoccupied with my luggage, I had to keep track of Gramma. If one thing I was NOT to do in Vancouver would be NOT to lose my Gramma. Lucky enough for her, my duffle bag was rather noisy and she would be able to hear me 'from miles away'.


We finally reached my uncles condo; A nice place along the water. We unloaded, sat down for a few seconds, and were off again. I was sent on a task with my cousin to go get some groceries. We headed down to robson where they have a very futuristic looking safeway (made out of glass and you have to take an escalator to get to it-cool, I know). My mother sent with a bagillion safeway cards, so we were set. On our little excursion, we also bought the season of Glee, and the movie Whip It-as my cousin didn't finish on the plane either.


When we got back, My aunt and uncles friends and their kids were over, and we sat around, watched the Olympics. (The condo didn't ahve cable, and we had attempted to get reception by attaching a coat hanger to some wires and hanging it from the ceiling. Silly-you might think, but it worked).


Later in the evening, we went out to a place called "Posh", which was a japanese restaurant, where you can cook your entire meal in a boiling pot. They ordered for the table, and it was up to you to cook your own food. They brought out this 'bacon' looking food, and starting putting it in the pot. The 'bacon' was actually think strips of beef- but how was I supposed to know that? We threw in some veggies and some tofu and called it dinner. Yum.


We got back to the condo, when I realized I left my tooth brush at home. Go me. I slipped into my polar fleece Canadian pants that screamed "I'm Canadian" everywhere. Could you tell which country I was rooting for?


We got home fairly late, but we insisted on staying up and watching the first episode of Glee.


This would become the first of many nights!


-Happy Blogger